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How to Root Nexus 7 LTE 2013 Android 4.3.1 OTA Update Build JLS36I

This is a root method of the new OTA update Build JLS36I Android 4.3.1 on Nexus 7 LTE 2013 edition that has been previously rolled out on October 2013. It wasn’t unclear how this new update changed the whole system but it’s clear enough that Google has now started pushing the Android 4.3.1 (Jelly Bean) to their Nexus smartphones and tablets. Those who might already received this 4.3.1 build JLS36I and already lost root access, you can still gain root by using the same method as before. But this time we are going to use the latest TWRP recovery and Chainfire’s newly updated SuperSU.

Root Nexus 7 LTE running on Android 4.3.1 JLS361

Download the necessary files for rooting your Nexus 7 LTE and prepare important things before proceeding. Skip this steps if you already installed it in your computer.
1. Download Android SDK and USB driver.
Android SDK: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
USB Drivers: http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html
2. Make sure your phone is fully-charge or at-least still has 60% power.
3. Enable USB debugging mode while using the Android SDK and connecting your phone with the computer.

Tap Menu>> Setting>> About Phone, then scroll down and look for the “Build Number” info. Now tap the build number details for about 7-times until a pop-up message appears that says like “Congratulations for unlocking the Developer Options. “Now you are a developer”.

A: Unlocking Bootloader on Nexus 7 LTE

If your Nexus 7 phone has been re-locked or not being unlocked yet you should unlock its bootloader first before you can actually flash or install the TWRP recovery, once the recovery installed we will use it then for flashing the SuperSU root file.

1. Reboot the Nexus 7 on bootloader mode, Press Volume Down and Power button.
2. Connect the Nexus 7 to the computer using USB cable. Then head to your computer for the rest of the process.
3. Run the Windows Command Promp and then simply enter the following command line.

adb reboot bootloader

4. Then type the bootloader unlocking command.

fastboot oem unlock

5. Confirm the unlocking bootloader, use volume keys to select Yes and hit the Power button toe execute the selection.
6. Then reboot the phone by selecting “reboot”.

B: Install TWRP Recovery on Nexus 7 LTE

Download the latest version of TWRP recovery and the latest Super SU files from the link below.
TWRP Recovery: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/194
1. Optional: You can rename the downloaded ‘openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.0-deb.img’ to “recovery-twrp.img” from the folder after downloading or leave it as “openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.0-deb.img”.
2. Run the Command Prompt window, then type the following command

fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.6.3.0-deb.img

or if you have renamed it,

fastboot flash recovery recovery-twrp.img

3. Wait and see the flashing progress until it finishes.

Once the TWRP recovery installed, reboot your Nexus 7 2013 into recovery mode by simply pressing the Volume keys (up/down) until the Recovery Mode is displayed. Then proceed for flashing the SuperSU file below.

C: Flash SuperSU to Root the Nexus 7 LTE

Download the latest SuperSU, we have now on version v1.51 that worked on latest Android 4.3 builds.

SuperSU: http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu
1. Connect your Nexus 7 LTE into your computer using the supplied USB cable.
2. Copy the downloaded UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.51.zip to the root directory storage of your Nexus 7.
3. Boot the phone in recovery mode, press the Volume keys (up/down) until the Recovery Mode is displayed or open the command window again and type the following command:

adb reboot recovery

4. The phone will now display itself into TWRP recovery mode screen.
5. Scroll down and locate the file “UPDATE-SuperSU-v1.51.zip”, select and flash it.
6. Once the SuperSu flashing process is completed, go back to “System” then slide the button “Reboot” to reboot the device in normal mode.

That’s it! you have now your Nexus 7 LTE 2013 edition rooted. You can also use a rootchecker tool to confirm if the rooting process was indeed successful.